1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved sensing instrument which utilizes pressure measurements during aircraft flight to determine the Mach number, flight angles, impact pressure, and static pressure with only one head protruding from the aircraft.
2. Prior Art
A pressure sensing instrument for aircraft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,146, held by the same assignee. A device made according to the present invention is an improvement on the sensor disclosed in such patent. The device made according to the present invention exhibits marked improvements including an improvement in linearity wherein the output signal of the sensor is shown to agree very closely with the true angle of attack. A second significant improvement is that the present device is less sensitive to changes in Mach number of flow past the sensor. This is particularly true under conditions of subsonic flow.